Our journey through the thriving UK tech scene has taken us now to Cardiff. With an estimated value of £8.2 billion, the Welsh tech industry is a major force all its own in the UK, and Cardiff is one of the major hubs for it.
The capital’s energetic stance is in thanks in part to institutions like the Cardiff School of Technologies providing a fertile talent pool for new and expanding businesses.
In this feature on Wales, we’ll be looking at some interesting companies in the fintech part of the sector.
ANNA Money
Founded in 2017, ANNA stands for “Absolutely No Nonsense Admin” – and its main product is a business account and tax app designed for startups and solo traders.
The app lets you manage multiple bank accounts in one location, with an associated Mastercard sent your way after signup. The app offers a “pay as you go” option for customers, letting them only pay for months where they actually use the app.
In August 2021, the firm announced a partnership with Visa-owned Currencycloud to take its banking international.
Aurus Technologies
Have you ever looked at a digital currency like Ethereum and wished it were backed by precious metals like gold or silver? Well, Aurus Technologies has, and it has also added platinum to the list. On top of those three precious-metal-backed currencies, the company offers AWX, which entitles holders to a portion of the revenue generated by the other three currencies.
Aurus also offers a crypto wallet, called the Aurus Vault Card. After signing a deal with bullion trader AgaBullion in August 2021, the firm has even begun selling gold-backed crypto in Turkey.
Coincover
One issue with cryptocurrency is its instability, not just in terms of pricing but in how easy it is to lose all your crypto. Hackers prowl the blockchain looking for wallets to empty and enthusiasts to scam.
Enter Coincover, a company that purports to “set the standard for crypto safety”. By providing customers with services like two-factor authentication, offline key storage and asset recovery, the fintech entity hopes to make the crypto space safer for honest businesses and individuals trying to navigate Ethereum, Bitcoin or any other blockchain-based currency.
Someone clearly believes in them. In July 2021, Coincover secured $9.2 million (£6.8 million) in Series A funding.
Delio
Delio’s primary service is acting as a sort of middleman between investors and private market opportunities. Through its digital platform, the company says it can digitise “the entire private investment lifecycle”. Via a combination of an investment advisor, report-creator and data collation tool, it wants to share investment opportunities.
Companies interested in Delio should note that its tech is white-labelled,
In November 2021, the fintech firm was selected by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank, one of the largest banks in the world, to provide support for its private-market-focused digital expansion for high-net-worth clients.
MYPINPAD
MYPINPAD’s primary product is as straightforward as it gets. Its claim to fame is inventing the world’s first software payments terminal. Starting in 2012, it has used that time to craft what is a “universally trusted and highly secure consumer authentication via PIN”.
Getting in on the ground floor has allowed MYPINPAD to strike up working relationships with companies like Visa and Mastercard.
In recent times, it has kept active as well. In September 2021, it was revealed as one of the companies behind the technology for the Surfpay app, a contactless payment terminal for merchants. At the beginning of February 2022, it announced a partnership with CabCard to let taxi customers use mobile payments.
Yoello
Thanks to the pandemic, online ordering and delivery experienced a boom in activity. Apps like Postmates and DoorDash became some of the most-used apps in the mobile marketplace.
However, not every customer enjoys navigating these apps’ interfaces, and not every business wants to deal with these apps at all. Enter Yoello, which is selling an app-less order and payment solution. Whether it’s delivery or table-ordering, client restaurants build their menus then customers scan a QR code and are on their way to eating whatever they choose.
Last year was very kind to Yoello with launches in New Zealand and Canada alongside raising $4.2 million (£3.1 million) in funding.
